"From that time, Canada began to prosper, retarded only by the difference of British and French habits, customs and notions of Government, which eventually became so serious as to necessitate the passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791, by which Act the Province of Quebec was divided into UPPER and LOWER CANADA.

"Canada now found herself in possession of the fourth form of government in the short space of thirty-two years. From 1770 to 1773 she was ruled by martial law; from 1773 to 1774 a tyrannical military government ruled the country; from 1774 to 1791 a civil government of the most despotic cast was established and in 1792 a new constitution was introduced, establishing freedom of election and responsibility to the people.

First Parliment
"On the 17th of December 1792, the first Upper Canada Parliament was convened at Niagara, being composed of 16 members, for which John Macdonald of Glengarry was speaker. By an Act of this Parliment, the names of the four Upper Canada Districts (Luen-burgh, Mecklenburgh, Nassau, Hesse) were changed into Eastern, Midland, Home and Western. An act also was passed providing for the building of a gaol and court-house in each of these districts. In the same year during the administration of Col. John Graves Simcoe, the province was divided into sixteen counties, which elected the representatives, above alluded to as forming the first parliament.

Townships
"The second session of the U.C. Parliament was held at York (Toronto) at that time inhabited by only twelve families. During the administration of Lt. Gov. A. Gore, a Bill was passed determining the boundaries of the different townships and also an Act to establish public schools in every district in the province (1807). Four years after this (1811), the first census of Upper Canada was taken, when the population amounted to 77,000, five thousand less than the combined population of Oxford and Norfolk at present (1867).

Confederation
"...We have no space in this brief summmary to notice the many interesting political changes that have from time to time occupied the attention of our legislature. THE CONFEDERATION OF THE BRITISH AMERICAN PROVINCES ON THE EVE NOW OF CONSUMMATION, IS NO DOUBT AN EVENT WELL CALCULATED TO SUBSERVE THE INTERESTS OF ALL SECTIONS AND IS AT ONCE A WISE AND PATRIOTIC SCHEME FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS ON THIS CONTINENT."

[It is rather significant that confederation should again be the leading problem of the Government of Canada in this Centennial Year. The next observation is perhaps even more apropos one hundred eyars after it was penned.]

Anti-Americanism
"Before closing our summary we cannot refrain from remarking upon the unjustifiable policy pursued in times past and at present by the United States, both in regard to the trade relations between the two countries, and in not controlling its citizens within the limits essential to the maintenance of peace, and the honourable performance of treaties solemnly entered into by them and the Mother Country."

County of Oxford
"This county which began to be settled as early as the year 1793 during the regime of the first Lieutenant-Governer of Upper Canada, Col. John Graves Simcoe, formed that was formerly called the Brock District . . . . it was at one time juridically joined to the county of Norfolk - under its denomination as the Gore District - but in consequence of the rapid increase of settlement and population in Upper Canada, it became apparent that the formation and constitution of the different counties of the province should be changed from their original divisions under the British Act of Parliament 31, Geo. III, 1792. Consequently an Act of Parliament was passed abolishing the temporary unions of counties for judicial and other purposes, which Act took effect from the first of January, 1850. Subsequently it was enacted by Statute 14 and 15, Victoria, Chap. 5, that Oxford should be formed and constituted a seperate county, consisting of the following townships, viz., East Zorra, West Zorra, North Oxford, East Oxford, West Oxford, Dereham, Blenheim, Blandford, Norwich and East Nissouri and the town of Woodstock, comprising in territorial extent, 710 square miles. This was the last territorial change experienced by the county."

Oxford originally was applied to the three townships of East, West and North Oxford, and then to the whole county, after Oxford on the Thames in England.